Baseball Cards
by Green Aquarium
Summary: It's the tiniest gestures that mean the most in a childhood crisis...


In fifth grade, a year after he had left Ms. Frizzle's class, Ralphie Tennelli's parents sat him down on the large cyan couch in their living room and informed their son that they were getting a divorce. Ralphie's father, who had increasingly become enigmatic to his son over the past two years as the result of his increasingly long stays away from home, would be moving away to Oregon.

"I'll talk to you every week on the phone for as long as you like, Ralphie. And you can visit every summer."

Ralphie was far from a fool though. He understood that things wouldn't ever be quite the same between him and his dad. All the hollow reassurances from his parents that everything was going to be okay, the crummy picture books about divorce that the elementary school counselor gave him, it all felt like an insult to his intelligence.  
One by one, he informed his friends at school about what was occurring in his home life. From Phoebe's quiet sympathetic sadness to Carlos's transparent concern, their reactions were all supportive and understanding of his pain. It did feel good to have friends by his side.

The following few days seemed to move at a glacial pace. Mr. Tennelli started to pack his belongings into cardboard boxes. Nothing Ralphie loved to do, reading comic books, practicing baseball at recess, watching cartoons, seemed to bring him any sense of joy they once had. The happiness had been sapped from his life, yet he continued to bottle his newfound emotions.

Friday afternoon, the first day since he saw his father off the airport, Ralphie didn't want to return to his now emptier home. He entered the forested park next to the school and sat down at the base of a tree preparing for some lonely reflection. It was not even a few seconds before he was unexpectedly interrupted by Wanda appearing from behind the bushes.

"Ralphie?"

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was um… looking for frogs by the creek… Alright, I was following you. I don't know, I just want to make sure that you're fine. You've just been so gloomy this week at school. I understand why, but it's not normal to see you like this."

"Yeah, well things aren't normal anymore. It feels like there's no place for me anymore. I know it's not my fault and that nobody blames me, but it's just so hard."

Wanda sat down next to him.

"I suppose things have never been normal for any of us, maybe they never will be. Anyways, I have something for you, Ralphie."

"What is it?"

"Well, I was going to spend my allowance on candy or soda. Then I thought, you know, that you'd like a gift because you're going through a hard time. So here, I know how much you like them."

She pulled out a packet of baseball cards from her coat pocket. Ralphie grabbed it and hastily opened up, staring at the fresh cards in his hands. For a long minute he was wordless, barely even breathing. Then his eyes began to leak. He buried his sobbing head into Wanda's shoulder.

Wanda was taken back slightly as she had never witnessed a boy cry before. Girls? Yes. Babies? Yes. But a boy her own age? She had never even seen Arnold, in all his feebleness, weep.

"Okay… it's okay, Ralphie… it'll all be okay…" she told him as she awkwardly patted his back, trying to maintain a calm and soothing tone to her voice. At this moment, Ralphie wanted desperately to be anywhere in the universe other than Walkerville. He thought of all the fantastical faraway locations he longed to escape to.  
No matter the impossible distances, all of them featured Wanda right to next to him.

Wanda was slightly embarrassed, she hoped that nobody would find them in this wooded area of the park, yet at the same time a part of her didn't care about what anybody would think if they saw them. Ralphie deserved to let it all out.

"I-I'm going to miss him so much…"

"Ralphie… I'm here, I'm here… I'm here… it'll be okay…"

Eventually his crying slowed down. Wanda's coat was soaked from his tears and running nose, but she paid no mind to that.

"You won't tell anybody that I cried, right?" he asked softy, his eyes still red and wet.

"Of course not! That's none of their business!"

"Yeah, I guess. Thank you for the cards, Wanda."

"You're welcome, Ralphie. It's getting late and I need to go, my mom's going to wonder where I am and get worried…"

"Bye…"

"Ralphie, tomorrow, um… I want you to come over to my house and hang out. We can just play video games and stuff. That okay?"

"Yeah… I'll be there."

"Great, my mom and I will pick you up tomorrow," the girl slowly walked off in the direction that she had gone in. Ralphie meanwhile, continued to sit beneath the tree. Losing track of time, he let his mind wander astray, thinking of anything and everything that he wished. His imagination, unlike reality, was unrestricted and unobstructed.

As the sky darkened, he placed the baseball cards in his pocket and trudged back to his house. He didn't response when his mother shouted at him, asking him why he was arriving home so late. He merely walked up to the steps to his green bedroom and collapsed upon his bed.


End file.
